The assignee of the present invention, Sonitrol Corporation, provides security solutions using audio intrusion detection, access control, video monitoring and fire detection. These security systems allow 24-hour monitoring and are integrated into a single, easy-to-use system that is monitored by highly trained professionals at a central monitoring station. The security system incorporates verified audio detection, which allows a central monitoring station to monitor what is happening at a premises using sound detection.
Small analog audio sensors are strategically placed throughout a premises to allow an operator at the central monitoring station to hear the sounds of abnormal activity in the monitored premises or facility. When the security system is activated, the sounds of the break-in initiates a code that describes the location of the activated analog audio sensor, e.g., a microphone. Audio is transmitted to the central monitoring station. When activation occurs, a skilled operator hears the live audio from the monitored premises while pertinent customer data can be displayed on a computer screen for the operator to review and report.
Monitoring can occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The system can also include devices that permit ID badging with card readers, door contacts to indicate when doors are open at a time when they should not be open, for example, by unauthorized entry, and similar devices. In some systems, video cameras and fire detectors have been included in the overall security system. Audio signals are transmitted as analog signals from the audio sensor, e.g., microphone, through a wired control panel, and over the public switched telephone system to the central monitoring station. The analog system suffers drawbacks and is not always efficient.